The Water of Life

Thursday

What is in a name? When it comes to whisk(e)y, not only are there dozens of variations, from Scotch to rye, bourbon and beyond, but there are two competing spellings. Much ado has been made about the correct spelling and when to include the infamous fifth letter of the alphabet and when to drop it out. For our sake and sanity, we will be including the -e when referring to bourbon, rye, Tennessee and Irish whiskey (plural: whiskeys). The -e will be dropped when referring to Scotch and Canadian whisky (plural: whiskies).

Tim Finnegan’s Wake, an Irish ballad that is at once a drinking song and a mourning song, tells the story of an Irish day laborer with a taste for liquor who takes a spill one day and dies. Finnegan is rolled up and brought to wake, laid out with a barrel of porter beside his head and a bottle of whiskey next to his feet. At his wake, a raucous fight breaks loose amongst his friends and an unnamed assailant sends a bottle of whiskey through the air, missing its target, smashing and ultimately spilling the spirit all over our deceased host. Finnegan, being doused in aqua vitae, is miraculously resurrected from his deathbed and the party resumes. That whiskey is the liquor to breathe life into Finnegan is no coincidence; today’s English word whiskey comes from the 18th century English whiskybae, which derives from the Scot’s Gaelic usquebaugh and Irish uisce beatha, literally translating to the water of life. In medieval Europe, the name was fitting as water was often contaminated and undrinkable thus making whiskey — and other distilled or fermented beverages — the lifeblood of the continent.

Whiskey found its way to the Americas and played a critical role in the development of the young United States, as frontiersmen militantly protested undue taxation on the trade of distilled spirits. The Whiskey Rebellion, as it became known, sowed its roots in a similar uprising called Shay’s Rebellion centered in Petersham in Worcester County, Mass. While Worcester had a more inspirational relationship to whiskey distilling in pre-Constitutional United States, its contributions would only grow throughout the 19th century. Hiram Walker was born in Douglas, Mass. on July 4, 1816 in the Yew Street farmhouse that his grandfather built. After several failed business attempts, Walker eventually found success in Boston dealing with dry goods and eventually grain buying, which led him to pursue an interest in distilling whiskey. With his business acumen, Walker was drawn to the midwest like many young entrepreneurs, though strict prohibition laws in Michigan drove him to Canada. There the Douglas native expanded his distilling enterprise in what was called Walkerville, Ontario, launching Hiram Walker’s Club Whisky which would eventually be renamed Canadian Club Whisky, going on to become one of the most popular brands of whisky in the world.

The 18th Amendment to the Constitution would ban the production, transport and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. With distilleries in the United States closing, Hiram Walker’s Canadian Club Whisky boomed, becoming the preferred import of mobster Al Capone, and spawning an illegal underworld of basement taverns and speakeasies. While the speakeasy vanished after the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933, one popular Worcester bar channels the spirit of prohibition-era blind tigers with infamous cocktails and artistic bartenders. Still & Stir, the back room bar carved out of the old Worcester jailhouse at 120 Commercial St., has a full menu of whiskey cocktails with both centuries old classics and brand new experiments with the spirit.

Still & Stir bartender Anthony Verdini sees whisky as the “stubborn only child” of the spirit world, where some liquors try to mix in flavorlessly to the rest of the drink ingredients, whiskey stands out with its bold color and stark, complex flavors. Verdini goes on to explain that because of this whiskey can seem like a daunting spirit for those who normally drink something else, “sometimes you have to trick someone into trying whiskey, they’ll say ‘make me a Bicycle Clown’ (Still & Stir’s name for a custom specialty house cocktail), and you’ll make a drink that they can’t believe is a whiskey drink.” Other times, though, guests at Still & Stir and its sister restaurant, The Citizen, know precisely what they want — “Basil Hayden’s (a light-bodied bourbon whiskey), in a sniffer, two ice cubes,” requested by one confident guest at the bar on a recent evening.

Somewhere in between Still & Stir’s experimental Bicycle Clowns and a glass of whiskey with ice is the classic Old Fashioned, what Citizen bartender Ashley Auger proudly exclaims is “the original cocktail, one that reminds you of fall and makes you feel comfortable.” Verdini flexes his bartending chops and makes the perfect Old Fashioned, with such skill that even New Haven born Jeremiah Thomas — “the father of American mixology” — would be impressed with.

Starting with 4 Roses Yellow Label bourbon — “a versatile whiskey” — Verdini adds Jerry Thomas Bitters, raw sugar, lemon oils, while rubbing the rim of the glass with freshlycut orange zest. The caramel-colored cocktail surrounds a giant single ice ball encouraging drinkers to sip slowly. The aroma of lemon oils and orange zest hits your olfactory senses first, with the taste of orange tingling the front of your tongue, while the bitters balance your palette. Finally, while the liquid swashes in your mouth, you are greeted by the warm and reassuring flavor of the smooth bourbon whiskey, as hints of pear and apple linger on your taste buds. Cocktails like the Maine & Maple, featuring Evan Williams Vintage Bourbon, locally sourced blueberry jam, a touch of maple syrup, and a floater of champagne, challenge whiskey conventions with incredible results.

Whiskey lovers are not limited to only Worcester’s bars for their spirits. Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, Mass. houses its famous Loch & K(e)y Whisk(e)y Society, a club for whiskey lovers the world over. The Loch & K(e)y Society hosts weekly events from tastings to special presentations by distillers on Whisk(e)y Wednesdays and even features an annual Whiskey Weekend with tastings of dozens of excellent whiskies from around the world, a whiskey dinner, and educational courses over both days. The 2014 Whisk(e)y Weekend is still being planned and Julio’s encourages those interested to visit juliosliquors.com for up-to-date information on the next event.

Despite its European origins, whiskey has become the American spirit. While whiskey is more commonly associated with Tennessee, Kentucky and regions outside of New England, the whiskey experience has been irrevocably changed by New Englanders, from Douglas natives like Hiram Walker to local restaurants and bars respecting the classics while also making exciting experimental cocktails. Whiskey truly is Worcester’s water of life.

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